The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-07-25
BAKERS OWN STORY
OF THE MURDER OF THE WOMEN
As Told to n NelEhbor Mt tho Time of the
Tragedy, Retold by n wItnys-Daker's p
Father Visits Him The Jurors
5 Taken to the Scene Saturday.

just after the Circuit Court adjourned
at New Cumberland Saturday a touching
scene waa enacted In the prisoners cell
The father, an old, gray.hairsd man, had
Just arrived on the train and hastened to
the jail. As they met father and aou
clasped hands and toars welled up IN the
eyes OF both. They were deeply affected,
and as the old man turned away he could
no longer control his grief and gave way
to silent weeping.
Court convened promptly at 0 o'clock
Saturday morning and the examination OF
witnessed was proceeded with, with John
j. Gruber on tho stand. He said: re-.
side In Toronto and am dealer in tomb.
stones. first saw Baker in his cell May
10, little alter dinner. He appeared
grieved at the newspaper reports. The
conversation WAS direc.ed,to Mr.. SHARP:
there were four OF us present. He said
that the papers did him an injustice. He
thought ofgstting Mrs. McWha's admins.
traitor to act in the same capacity for Mrs.
Bakers estate. He said 1t was Mrs. Nc.
VIVA who shut the door on Mrs. Brown
and Mrs. Swearingen; che said they were
not wanted there as they didn't amount to
much said he WAS present at the time. l
asked him II he wanted monument Tor
his wife, but he said that Mrs. McWha
had arranged for family monument, Mr.,
Sharp, VIM. Chapman, Mr.. Cunningham,
and myself were present at the time.
Alonzo Knox, recalled Game from
home this morning; before I saw Baker
go down the hill 1 saw the buggy in
which Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Swearingen
were going up the road toward Mrs.
Browns house. 1t was five to ten minutes
afterwards saw Baker 70 down the hill.
Lysander Patterson being recalled,
said he had his notes with him and he ex.
planned the route followed by the buggy
around Mrs. McWha's house from The
hitching post to the rosd and then to
Browns house, giving the distance in sec.
tionB. The total distance from the hitch
ing post to Browns house is 8, 164 feet.
ANgIauBoR's STORY.
Mrs. Hereford ,Wilcoxon said: I am
married; know where Mrs. McWha lived
May 0; l lived on the pike on the left
side OF the road for four years; was we'll
acquainted with Mrs. Nc Wha and Mrs,
Baker; saw them every day from our
house; could plainly see the kitchen and
the house and the pump; saw Mrs. Baker
Monday forenoon standing in her yard
watching men cut ties in Lees orchard;
also saw her washing in the kitchen. 1t
| is a steep hank from our house to their
kitchen. 1t was between ten and eleven
O'Clock when l saw her in the yard; she
had on rather faded wrapper; knew of
her having dark green drees, which she
usually wore in the afternoon. Mrs. Baker
attended to the outdoor work mostly.
There were no windowe in the end of the
house where she was washing. saw
Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Swoaringen between
two and three o'clock Monday after
noon going up the road; saw
Baker, the prisoner, 20 up the road in
the morning, before I saw Mrs. Baker
washing; saw him again between three
and four o'clock going towards the station;
| was 81 my front window; this was after
| saw Mrs. Baker aud Mrs. Swesringen in
the buggy Baker had small black satchel
in his hand; was at home on Tuesday
morning and saw Baker coming down the
road it was after the Eastern train had
passed, between eight and nine; was in
the front OF our house; he was alone; had
not heard OF the murder then; it was
twenty or thirty minutes alter be passed
Judging by the work was doing before I
heard the cry OF murder; wouldn't SUP.
pose it would take Baker more than five
lninutea 70 teacn MS gate at the gait he
was waking; couid see up the road as lar
as MIS-. Browns; heard MI. Baker cry
MURDER atoid moi see MIN then she lden-
Ilned Inc green dress worn by Mrs. Baker.
r. THE ROUTE BAKER TOOK.
Silas McConnell.-Rasjde in Steuhan.
v;,,o. on, a o;r;, or,;no.r ~ ~ D.
- $50 ~ ss'A W ' -' : az
nandiei Know Whefe the new road is
being built to New Cumberland; know
where it connects with the main line 1t is
Ho,da1 rora s.s, +, - 10 nraa ' het 10
land and che highest iii is, OF course, at
the bridge; the bridge was completed May
9th, except the track; the fill on the north
side was not completed, and one had to
climb about twelve feet before getting on
the bridge.
Hereford Wilcoxen.-Am husband Of
the lady who was on the stand; i was
working for Larry O'Toole, hauling brush
on May 9th, on the new railroad; Nc
Wha's is the next lot adjoining it; Baker
was there in the forenoon; I saw him
abont. middle way across the field shortly
before tour o'clock; he asked me il he had
time for the four o'clock train, and l told
him he had twenty minutes; my time is
about an hour faster than the time used on
the railroad.
Cross-examined-Don't know OF any
path across the field to the railroad there
was path the men made, but Mr.. Lee
stopped them from going that way.
Re-direct-The path WAS from the mems
boarding house TO the track, and they
hadn't used it since Mr.. Lee stopped
them.
DRAMATICALLY TOLD.